Flying-machine.



T. D. ROBINSON.

FLYlNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY14,1915- Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

TERS 0a., wnom-urna. WASMINENN. a. c.

T. D. ROBINSON FLYING MACHINE? APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, l9l5.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Teodorel K0 Mine in ear aa 'rc;

THEODORE 1). ROBINSON, or LocKPoar, NEW YORK.

FLYING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE D. ROBIN- soN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flying-Machines, of which the following is a speci- My invention relates toflying machines, and the primary object of the same is to provide meanswhereby the equilibrium of the machine will be automatically maintainedunder all conditions. I

A further object is to provide a flying machine with planes connected toa carrying member or chassis in such a manner that the latter may bemaintained in vertical position, while the planes are permitted toassume inclined positions relative thereto'to a limited degree; and toequip the machine with equalizing or balancing means controlledautomatically by the movement of the planes relative to the carryingmember or chassis. r

A further object is to provide simple and effective equalizing orbalancing means ca pable of being manually actuated but arranged so thatit will be brought into actuation automatically under air orwindpressure against a certain part or parts of the machine.

Further objects are to provide equalizing or balancing means for flyingmachines arranged in two parts operatively connected together so thatthey act in reverse order to cause the air currents to apply pressurethercagainst in opposite directions; and to otherwise improve on flyingmachines noW. in use. j i

The invention consists in the. novel features of construction and in thearrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described andmore particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of thatpor tion is directly applied, thepropelling and steering mechanisms, also the usual supporting wheelsbeing omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan view with a portion of one of the-planesbroken away to better disclose parts directly beneath; Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a. de-

Specification of Letters Patent.

tached perspective view'of a portionof one of the equallzing orbalancing devices, the

wingor plane forming a portion of said equalizing orbalancmg device andthe sustaining plane to which it is attached being Fig. 5 is'anenlarged.

shown in dotted lines. section taken on line 55, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the outer portion of one of the planes equipped witha modified form of equalizing or balancing device.

Referring now to the drawingslike numerals of reference refer to likeparts in the several figures. i

The reference numeral 10 designates the chassis or carrying member ofthe machine which is usually provided with supporting wheels (notshown). This carrying member is constructed of any suitable light butstrong material such as will aid in reducing the weight of the craft tothe minimum, yet

ed in any practicable manner. The carrylng member herein shown 1s merelyillustra- Patented Oct. 17, ieic.

Application filed May 14, 1915. Serial No. 28,030: V l l tive of one ofmany forms'it may be given v and comprises bars suitably connected toform a rectangular frame.

' Pivotally secured to the upper end 'of the carrying member are thesustaining planes ing constructed of oiled silk or other suit' ablematerial attached to said frame. The

- pivoted connection of the planes to the carrying member-is so arrangedthat the sustaining planes may have. lnnlted upward and downwardmovement, and "as these planes are formed at opposite ends oftheplaneframe 12, their movements are respectively in reversed directions;that is,

when one is moving upwardly the other is such movements, looseconnections 13 are tionof a flying machine to which my inven- 5 providedbetween the plane frame 12 and between the frame 12 and the carryingmemher, with loose connections at the sides of the carrying memberserving as stops to limit the movementof the planes, any other 11, thesebeing arranged to extend a con- 7 moving downwardly. In .order to .limitarrangement whereby the planes may move to a limited extent in themanner described may be employed, and it is desirable that means toprevent movement beyond certain points he installed. This may beaccomplished in various ways without departing from the scope of theinvention.

WVith the plane frame connected to the carrying member, as described,the latter when in flight is at all times suspended in a verticalposition or at least tends to maintain a vertical position with thecross bars substantially horizontal, even though the planes are inclinedto the horizontal, and

this tendency of the carrying member to maintain a vertical position isutilized to equalize or balance the machine when in flight. To this endI have provided controlling cords or cables 14, 15, arranged,respectively, at the front and rear of the machine. Each of said cordsand cables has one end attached to a low point of the carrying member atone side thereof, as at 16, from which point it is directed upwardly tothe extreme outer end of one of the planes where it is passed over asheave or roller 17, from which it is directed across both planes, as at18, to the extreme end of the other plane where it passes around thesheave or roller 19 and is thence directed downwardly for connection atits opposite end to a low point of the carrying member at the oppositeside thereof, as at 20. Each of these cords or cables is guided insuitable loops or eyes 21 at the top of the planes, and these cords have connection with equalizing devices carried by each of the sustainingplanes. If desired, the controlling cordmay be attached to amanually-operated element or may be harnessed directly to the operatorwhose move ments'will control the actuation of the equalizing'orbalancing devices.

The preferred construction of equalizing device is disclosed in Figs. 1to a in which I employ flat wings or planes 23 extending from the rearedge of the sustaining planes 11. These wings or planes are actuated bymechanism carried by said sustaining planes and interposed between theflat wings or planes 28 and the cord or cable 1a, the mechanism for onesustaining plane being reversed from that of the other so that reverseaction of the wings or planes 23 is obtained. Each of the wings orequalizing planes 23 has an upstanding stud or arm 24,

v and a depending stud or arm 25 which may be a continuationof-theupstanding stud or arm, and to these studs or arms actuating wires26 are secured, one of the wires passing forwardly above the sustainingplane and the other forwardly beneath the-same, the ends thereof beingsecured to actuating levers 27 and 28 arranged, respectively, above andbeneath the sustaining plane. These levers are disposed obliquelyinopposite directions, and in order that the wires 26 may have a directforward pull upon the wings or equalizing planes, sheaves or pulleys 29are secured above and beneath the plane directly in line with the pointof attachment of the wires 26 to said wings or planes, these wires beingdirected oppositely from said sheaves or pulleys for connection to theinner ends of the levers 27, 28, respec tively. The-forward ends ofthese levers are connected together by a yoke 30'and to con nect saidyoke to the upper lever 27 one of the loops or eyes 21 is employed. Thecon trolling cord or cable ld-is passed through said last-mentioned loopor eye and has stops or enlargements 31 arranged thereon which lie onopposite sides of said loop or eye and in contact therewith. The levers27, 28 are pivotally attached between their ends to the sustaining planeby means of pivots 32 fixed into the sustaining plane and passed throughlongitudinally-disposed slots 33 in said levers. As clearly shown in thedrawings, the upper levers 27 are inclined inwardly from their points ofconnection to the yoke 30, while the lower levers are inclined outwardly, thus causing one of the actuating wires 26 to'bedrawn upon whilethe other is slackened or paid out. In order to stiffen the equalizingplanes, cords or guy wires 3% connect the extreme ends of the same attheir rear edges with the upper ends of the studs or arms 2land thelower ends of the studs or arms 2 thus keeping the said wings or planesin a flat condition so that they cannot warp or flex, which would defeatthe purpose of my invention and cause the equalizing device at one sideof the machine to act improperly with respect to that at the other sideof the machine.

InFig. 6 the equalizing devices are shown in modified form, eachcomprising an open ended shell Said shells are preferably made taperingor conical and secured to rock shafts 86 journaled in arms 87 extendingrearwardly from the sustaining planes 11. Each rock shaft 36 has securedthereto a double armed actuating lever 38 to which the actuating wires39 are secured, said wires passing around sheaves or pulleys 40 securedto the sustaining plane and having connection with the. actuating levers2T, 28. In ad dition to the equalizing devices 35 at the rear of thesustaining plane I also provide a horizontally pivoted open ended shell41 at the end of each of the sustaining planes. These shells may betapered and each has an upwardly extending arm 42 and a depending arm4:3,one of said arms being connected to one of the actuating levers 27by an actuating. wire 44: and the other being connected to the actuatinglever 28 by a wire 1 said wires passing over, suit-able sheaves orpulleys 16 secured to the sustaining planes at suitable points so thatthe action of said levers is imparted to the shells 41 to swing the sameon their pivots. Like the equalizing devices disclosed in F igs l to a,these shells are actuated in reverse Order at opposite sides of thevertical center of the ma chine. j

In Fig. 6 I have shown stops e7 secured to the sustaining plane whichare arranged at opposite sides of the yoke 30 so as to limit themovement of said yoke and thereby limit the upward and downwardmovements of the sustaining planes and consequently the 'movement of theequalizing devices. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the links13 serve as stops to limit the movement of the planes, but in aconstruction in which these links are omitted I find it of advantage toprovide the stops 47. In some instances the links 13 may be employed inconnection with the stops 47, but in such cases the links are used assafety devices in the event of the pivotal connection of the sustainingplane or planes and the carrying member becoming broken, inwhich casethe links serve to support the carrying member while the stops 47 limitthe movements of the plane or planes relative to said carrying member.Suitable means for locking the )lanes in horizontal aosition ma be )rovided so that when the machine is resting on the ground and prepared forflight, it may travel forwardly and rise in the air with all parts tiedrigidly together and the equalizing devices in normal position. Anysuitable means for locking the planes may be employed, such as providedin my Patent 1,155,861, granted August 3, 1915, or otherwise. Attentionis invited to the fact that when the sustaining planes are locked inhorizontal position, movement of the equalizing devices is prevented,and as the plane is not subjected to any strong air currents when at alow altitude, such arrangement offers a decided advantage. This is alsotrue when descending and approaching the ground, at which time it willbe found desirable to lock the planes against movement. When, however,the machine is in flight at a height to which it may be subjected tostrong air currents, the locking device is actuated to permit thesustaining planes free limited movement, as shown by dotted lines,Fig. 1. This enables the carrying member to maintain a perfectlyvertical position, while the planes, if subjected to air currents, arecaused to swing on their pivot, and

in doing so draw upon the cords or cables 14, so as to move one of theyokes 30 toward the vertical center of the machine and the other awayfrom the same, thereby operating the actuating levers and causing theequalizing devices at opposite sides of the center of the machine toswing in opposite directions, the one attached to the lowered planeswing ing downwardly while the one attached to ,mal or horizontalposition.

It is apparent that various changes may be made in the construction andarrange ment of parts without departing from the spirit of my inventionor sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Havmg thus descrlbed my 1nvent1on,'what I claim is,

1. A flying machine comprising a carrymg member, a plane-frame ly ngacross the top of sald carrying member and extending a. considerabledistance beyond opposite sides of said carrying member, planes carriedby said plane-frame at opposite sides of said carrying member, acontrolling cord passing lengthwise along said plane-frame from end toend thereof, said cord being extended from said ends" downwardly'andinwardly for connection to said carrying member, equalizing devicesattached to said plane-frame on opposite sides of the vertical center ofsaid carrying member, actuating levers connected to saidcontrollingcord, and actuating wires connecting said levers with saidequalizing devices, said levers being arranged in pairs and those ofeach pair being oppositely disposed to cause one of said wires to bedrawn upon while the other is paid out. V

2. A flying machine having a plane or planes, a carrying membersuspended from said plane or planes to permit opposite movement of saidplane or planes at opposite sides of the carrying member, said plane orplanes being normally held in horizontal position and having guide loopsthereon, a controlling cord passing through said loops lengthwise alongsaid plane or planes and being extended from the outer ends of saidplanes downwardly and inwardly for connection to said carryingmember, apair of levers pivotally connected to said plane or planes at points atopposite sides of the vertical center of machine and to which saidcontrolling cord is attachedto operate the same, equalizing devices atthe rear edge of said plane or planes, and actuating wires connectingsaid equalizing devices with said actuating levers. I v r v 3. A flyingmachine comprising a carrying-member, sustaining planes in a plane abovesaid carrying member and extending beyond opposite sides of the latter,said planes being connected to permit one to swing upwardly with respectto said carrying member when the other swings down wardly, an equalizingmeanson each of sald" planes comprising an equalizer mounted forswinging movement on a horizontalpivot, a pair of levers pivotallysecured at points between their ends to each plane, one lever of eachpair being inclined rearwardly and outwardly and the other belnginclined rearwardly and inwardly, said levers being connected togetherat their front ends, actuating Cords connecting the equallzers wlth saidlevers, and a controlling cord disposed transversely across both planesand con- In testimony whereof I my signature,

THEODORE D. ROBINSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

